Living in the Conversation: Keys to Creative Preaching and Worship in Small Membership Churches

Today's world teaches that bigger is better. We measure success by the square feet of our homes and by the size of our bank accounts. But what if we've gotten it wrong? What if there's quality in smallness?

With 45 years of church leadership experience, James Killen came to believe that some of the biggest God moments can happen in the smallest of churches. Throughout the pages of Living in the Conversation, Killen looks back through biblical history to remind us that God calls us to love Him with our hearts, minds, and souls. Ultimately, Killen convinces us that preaching and worship should always lead to a people connected to their God.

Living in the Conversation beckons the reader to abandon all presuppositions about what makes a church work, pointing back to God's commands to walk in love and share the truth of redemption. This is how a big faith is developed, and Killen calls even the smallest of churches to anticipate a holy revelation. When we expect a God encounter, we can then begin to live out the intangibles of the kingdom -- loving fellowship, vital worship, and a genuine and transformative relationship with a big and living God.

Prior to his passing in August 2013, James L. (Jim) Killen Jr. had retired from the United Methodist Church after a 45-year career in pastoral ministry. Jim extended his ministry into retirement through prison ministry, interim ministries, teaching, and writing. Jim taught classes in preaching and in Biblical Studies in pastor's schools. He wrote several books, including three published by CSS. He was a contributor to The Immediate Word and other parts of the CSS Publishing online pastor's resource SermonSuite (sermonsuite.com). He had degrees from the University of Houston (B.S. History and Philosophy) and Perkin's School of Theology at S.M.U. (B.D., D.Min.).